


Dumpster Cat

by DrowningByDegrees



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Bucky and cats, Gen, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 05:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11268849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrowningByDegrees/pseuds/DrowningByDegrees
Summary: They didn’t need a cat. They really didn’t need a cat. That was precisely why, when Bucky found the little, gray ball of fur, he tucked it away in his coat and swore to himself this was only temporary. It was just that the kitten was all alone, and Bucky knew a thing or two about being left behind.In which someone prompted me to write about a kitten perching on Bucky's shoulder, and I ended up with this.





	Dumpster Cat

  
They didn’t need a cat. They _really_ didn’t need a cat. That was precisely why, when Bucky found the little, gray ball of fur, he tucked it away in his coat and swore to himself this was only temporary. It was just that the kitten was all alone, and Bucky knew a thing or two about being left behind.  
  
By the time Steve got home, the kitten was cleaned up and gorging itself on scraps of lunch meat. Bucky had stretched out on his stomach, tearing off pieces to help it along. Before Steve could say a word, Bucky was already piping up. “I know. I  _know_. Missions and stuff. It’s just for tonight.”  
  
“What are you calling it?” Steve asked, smiling like he knew something Bucky didn’t.   
  
“ _Nothing_. If you name it, you don’t get to give it away,” Bucky protested, giving the kitten a doubtful look as it butted it’s face against his palm.   
  
“Is that so?” Steve’s tone was suspiciously casual for someone who was  _supposed_  to be agreeing with Bucky about them not needing a cat.  
  
Bucky side eyed Steve. “Yes. It is.”  
  
That was about the time the the kitten took an interest in Bucky’s hair. It batted at the strands that had fallen in his face, the pads of its toes swiping his nose. Bucky bit back a smile and pressed his face to the carpet. “That’s enough of that, you gremlin.”  
  
“That’s a terrible name,” Steve murmured. Bucky couldn’t see Steve, but he could hear the grin that creased his lips.   
  
Bucky huffed against the carpet and ignored the way the kitten crawled over his bicep. “Good thing I’m not naming it, then.”  
  
There was a soft hum from the other side of the room, and Bucky could hear the faint squeak of the couch springs as Steve sat. “Suppose you were, though. What would you call it?”  
  
“I don’t know, Steve. I’m not naming it.” The kitten nudged against Bucky’s jaw, nose cold against his skin.   
  
“No. Of course not.” Steve agreed. Well, he agreed in words. That tone suggested something else entirely. “Payne maybe? Like the paint. They’re about the same color.”  
  
“You’re the one who said we shouldn’t have pets, Steve.” Bucky turned his head to the side, cracking an eye open. “Besides, that’s a terrible name.”  
  
“I did say that. Our house guest doesn’t really seem like it agrees with my assessment though… What about Ash?” There was that smile again, and if there’d been anything in arm’s reach besides the kitten, Bucky might have chucked something at his head.   
  
“Dumpster cat would be better than Ash,” Bucky protested. To his credit, he did his very best not to smile at the way the kitten crawled up his shoulder.   
  
“We’re not naming it Dumpster cat.” Steve leaned back against the couch cushions, idly watching the kitten curl up on Bucky’s shoulder, squished up against the warm side of his neck. “Okay, not Ash. How about Charcoal?”  
  
Bucky meant to protest. Really, he did. They didn’t need a cat. Only the kitten settled like Bucky was the safest place in the world, and that gave him pause. It purred in slow, happy rhythm, and something in his chest hitched. Begrudgingly, Bucky tilted his head until his cheek rested lightly against the kitten’s head. “Fine. Charcoal is fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come shout at me on [Tumblr!](drowningbydegrees.tumblr.com)


End file.
